


Mistletoe; Carina and Clarina Blush

by Chrestomanci_is_totally_a_vampire



Series: Mistletoe and Hollies [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Assassins, Childhood, Gen, Immortals, Magicks, Multiverse, Victorian, Wither family, Wizards, Youth, edwardian, guns~, i plan to, ish of course, universes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:47:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24367540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrestomanci_is_totally_a_vampire/pseuds/Chrestomanci_is_totally_a_vampire
Summary: Two witches, in a world where magick was prominent and the times was that of the late Victorian periods, are being taught by the famed and eccentric immortal Ms Garette Mars. The promising protégé, Clarina blush, and the lively and lovely twin, Carina Blush, are dutifully guided into magick and odd sciences by their mysterious and moody teacher. Exploring worlds beyond expectation and their imagination. One field trip went quite wrong when their teacher's reputation proved to be a fatal factor for anyone near her.
Relationships: Sisters - Relationship, Witches - Relationship, all types of magic, family wholesomeness - Relationship, mentor and students, sorcerers - Relationship, twins - Relationship
Series: Mistletoe and Hollies [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1759357





	Mistletoe; Carina and Clarina Blush

**Author's Note:**

> Might I remind you that because magick is a factor in this world the year is different from ours for they have not advanced as we because unlike us they have the wonderful quirk of magick to help them along instead of having to make things from scratch like us. Though their manners and societal demands are that of old fashion and they have a few modern ideas. Never forget that this is not our world but theirs and I shall do my best to relay this to you dear readers if ever this shall interest you. (Yes I purposely spelled it as Magick do catch on)

Chapter One

Carina and Clarina were twin sisters.

And they were that kind of twins.

The kind that opposed each other in everything save for their looks. Carina liked soft colors, frilly dresses, flouncing in the outdoors, and generally energetic and bubbly. Clarina on the other hand liked somber colors those that gave her the aura of discipline and control, she liked simple and practical dresses with boots suited for any occasion, she preferred to stay indoors and “build character”, and she was of course upright and domineering in a school teacher way.

They were not entirely different, both loved flowers, reading, braiding, riding, and having picnics. They did not hate each other as well but it was very clear that Clarina was 90% of Carina’s impulse control.

Luckily they hardly ever parted unless Clarina was off to learn magicks.

Carina when left alone would go and fantasize playing pretend in the glade with her stash of borrowed items (that she truly would return).

Exactly as she is doing at this very moment, in the glades among the grass and wild growth the white specter danced.

Carina wore the finest tablecloth as a veil and she had made an expert flower crown of wild flowers and weeds. She had spotted vines earlier with wonderful delicate pink buds so with expert care and ease she had untangled them from the tree and bush to adorn her arm. She had long ago shed her stockings and shoes and replaced them with similar vines and tucked violets in some places.

She looked like a nymph in a white layered dress that had bows and ruffled hemlines. Carina was imagining that she was a princess of a wilderness; this wilderness. She imagined that each step of her graceful dance flowers would bloom and the wind would sway with her twirls, trees bent to and fro to her beat and the leaves would whisper her song. Birds would chorus in sweet melodies and the sun would shine on her gently with love.

One of her favorite imaginings and it has yet to grow old.

Of course not her most favorite of fantasies, her most coveted fantasy was one where she’d find a love like none ever.

All the while the bright twin swayed in the wild and the other was at home dutifully learning.

Clarina always wore deep dark colors, a royal blue, an emerald green, obsidian black, or oak brown. Her bow’s and ribbons were always the same color… red. For red fit her dresses and hair wonderfully. Her twin braids twined with the blood red ribbon and her pretty bonnet which was the only thing that was ruffled in her appearance. She always carried with her a satchel-it was old, fringed, and out dated-but she was never to be seen without it unless she was bathing.

Clarina would prepare the room for her teacher because it built character. It made her responsible and it gave her something to do. Like wiping the board clean, dusting the figurines, arranging the chalk and watering the flowers. Of all the rooms she had explicitly told the maids to not touch the room less she said so. Clarina’s nook in the house was her learning room. There the walls were filled with sketches of her own, her teachers, and brilliant scientists and engineers. Her teacher also insisted that Clarina should practice something OUT of practicality. Which sounded silly to Clarina but as she voiced this her teacher merely clapped their hands.

“That’s what I mean! Do something beyond reason and logic something that calls to you for no reason whatsoever.”

Clarina merely gave a “hmm”.

Clarina made to painting as an effort and ended up very good at it. Carina in her curiosity and amazement also wanted to try and was equally talented. Thus Carina would sometimes join them to paint and sometimes tell stories. Clarina’s bane in her learning room was literacy in fantasy and fiction.

For she could not fool her dear teacher, she tried to make stories similar to folklore but her teacher quickly spotted her reason and style, she tried mashing them up and her teacher pointedly looked at her, it took large amounts of effort to create something that her teacher would not rebuff.

She would have to check for any give-a-ways, look for multiple stories, and think extremely hard for her own kind of style. Carina was found of nature, she always used nymph, flowers, talking dogs, talking water, dancing trees and so on. Clarina tried to create a story but it ended up like something one would give when teaching a three year old.

She was not lacking in thinking of ways to solve problems, practical problems, logical ones and psychological ones. She was utterly frustrated with fantastical literature.

One day her teacher had given her a large deep indigo journal and told her to write anything that interested her, anything out of the blue, any thoughts that had crossed her mind, and anything absurd or strange.

It was a severely empty book with only a few pages filled in and it was mostly about her sister or her teacher. She wrote,

"To-day Carina had somehow strung the tip of a high branch to the clothes line which was ten and a half meters from the said clothes line."

And in another she scribbled worriedly,

"Father is trying to be more sensitive towards mother and has asked for advice from Miss Mars.

I dread this. I think I should intervene."

That was perhaps more related to her emotions. The ones that were strange were about her teacher.

"Miss Mars broke into song to-day and it was a very fast song and the lyrics disturbed me. I’m quite sure she had never been in a relationship but the song she sang was a very heated song and included dismemberment. I’m not going to tell father since he might not let Miss Mars do what she wants and that would make her very prickly."

The rest of her entries were similarly written. Except for one of course, it was the most emotional that Clarina had gotten concerning written work not about her sister or her family and it went like this.

"To-day I was extremely shocked and excited, for Miss Mars had declared that Clarina and I would on a field trip! She said that we were to go to a world without magick in the 20th century.

We have come back from the world without magick and it’s so very interesting! I finally understand why Miss Mars fussed over the sewage, the people in that world are very clever in the arts of machinery. She told us that they made up for not having magic for having much time to think and improve but Miss Mars did not look so very pleased about it. They had things called bicycles, lightning rods, better plumbing, pumps that work ever so conveniently, and sleek metal machines that smoothly glided through pavement. What made me so very excited were their scientific books, they had so many! One would say one thing and another would try to debunk it. Both are believable and it seems such a great thought to decide which was right. Although Miss Mars mentioned that they were both wrong and it would take a few years before the right person was to discover the right theory. Still it was such a logical notion, Carina was excited over the fantastical literature and their paintings. Their fantasy seemed to be like OUR reality. That was extremely interesting-concerning the mind-set of the people through culture that change taking out such an important factor in our society. Of course their stories were not so very correct but neither were ours. I do hope that Miss Mars would take us to another field trip soon."

Miss Garette Mars had not taken them to another field trip but Clarina so very fancied the thought of the world without magick that she had (in a way) developed a larger imagination. Which pleased her teacher, then on she would often write her thoughts, conspiracies, and theories related to the other realms. She was never interested until now and was very passionate when she and Miss Mars went into debate. Which led to a reasonably written journal than a barren one.

From then on Clarina was dead set on creating a group of explorers. She had voiced her desire to her teacher and Miss Garette was pleased and gave her a very special watch. It was an elegant watch that could tell her the year, the month, the date, and the time. It made her feel very smart and it matched her sombre colors, it was silver with twining delicate carving and her name inscribed into the back.

Carina had gotten a large tome of folk lore and she absorbed it. She took many of her stories from it then on. It was a pretty book and Clarina did find some stories interesting and similar to their history or lore. The book was large as tall as her arm and as thick as her hand. There was an old design of infinite looking knots and very mosaic design of flowers. The pictures and drawings were also interesting.

But the book often made her frustrated and irritable, because a drawing of a witch was terribly upsetting. Clarina and Carina were both witches and they did not have **warts.** If anything everyone was very particular about **avoiding** warts. Sometimes it would say that sorceresses were evil enchantresses that seduce men. Her mother was a sorceress and an enchantress is entirely different, her mother did not seduce men contrariwise, her father would do well to chase them gone and her mother would gladly help.

They also seemed to be confused in Fae and elf as well as faerie and fairy though the drawings were so delicate and beautiful.

Carina also had her journal and it was more filled than Clarina’s because of many factors. She had larger handwriting, she doodled on each page, and she had great many ideas.

Carina had written,

"Mother has begun to make our dresses for our coming of age. I wanted a cream colored dress but Clarina wanted a dark blue dress and mother wanted us to have the same dress and we were very loud that it had roused father and he wanted to have no ceremony which made us all mad. Clarina said that it was “obligatory”, Mother said that he’d be stealing away our experience and I want to finally be able to hold tea parties and go out more often. Father went away grumbling and told us to draw straws instead. So we did and mother won. I have absolutely no idea what I’m to wear and I’m sure that father had let mother win on the basis that father hates upsetting mother. Which is unfair for me and Clarina."

The difference between the two girls could not be clearer for Carina had also begun poetry but it was very bad poetry and I refuse to say. She did however talk about a boy she had spied on a trip to her grandmother’s homage.

"Dear Diary,

This morning me, Clarina, and mother were on a trip to go visit grandmother. We rode in the carriage for hours that even Clarina’s iron clad attention had waned and her head had begun to drop. She realized this and had such a funny face! Anyway mother had coaxed Clarina to rest on her bosom so Clarina could sleep it took a whole hour to convince her. I was awake since I was doodling on you. The carriage had stopped when we were only a street away from grandmother’s house because there was a scuffle between two carriages that had crashed into the other. I chanced to look out the window and spotted the most dashing boy I’ve ever seen (but then again I’ve only seen few). He was riding a dark mare and his hair was ever so golden and wavy. I could see his bright green eyes from afar and he looked so very noble and regal.

I believe I’ve taken fancy to him and I shan’t utter a word to anyone besides Clarina and Miss Mars. Miss Mars had told me of her stories so she must be more knowledgeable in this. Clarina because I tell Clarina everything and there’s no point in not since I need to swoon over him with her. Although she just stared at me while I expressed my emotions. Then she was horrified. We argued but made up very quickly."

Now Carina’s liking to the boy has indeed dampened but whenever she would imagine the king of the forest the king would be strikingly similar to the boy. Carina thought even less and less of the boy as her coming of the age was striking closer.

She was delighted to find out that her mother had made a very beautiful turquoise silken gown for their next visit to grandmother’s home. Clarina had begrudgingly accepted that it was indeed “charming”. Her father was becoming very gloomy nowadays.

Mr Blush was coming to accept that his daughters were already growing up, proof of it was that frightening moment when he saw blood on Clarina’s skirt he had gone extremely mad and desperate that he went straight for Miss Garette. He was extremely panicked that he did not hear Clarina’s protests the entire time he had translocated. Miss Garette was extremely annoyed at first but she ended up laughing and explained everything to him. He had made care to be extra delicate with his wife and to make sure that they had a good supply of hot chocolate and cocoa in the house for those weeks. Clarina and Carina had different times and so did his wife and keeping up with it every month was work in itself.

He could accept that females had a biological gene that enabled them to bleed for a week every month but he was finding it hard to picture out who his little girls would marry. Absolutely none of the young lads he knew were up to his unknown standards, as it seemed to boost higher and higher up. He had become near feral whenever his friends would casually mention their “strapping” young lads and his charming girls. He almost growled.

When Carina twirled pressing a dress to her body to examine how she’d look he wanted to cry. They seemed to grow so fast, his two girls were very beautiful and so much more with the dress his wife had lovingly sewn, he went ill and sour thinking of all the boys that would be after his lovely children. He had heard Carina speaking to Clarina swooning over some stranger she had chanced on seeing and he broke his glass. He could only hope that Clarina would be able to stop Carina from any bad choices regarding boys.

He told his wife this and she went excited and told him to go investigate who the boy was. He said no and sulked in the corner because she refused to let him in the bed. He had made up for it by asking his mother about it.

When his mother found out about Carina’s tiny fancy-the two had badgered him to invite the lad to his daughters’ party. He was very sour especially since the two were now talking about Clarina’s future.

He was more confident with Clarina, she was reasonable, she thought before she acted, she knew what she wanted and if ever she did decide to get married he was sure she would pick a suitable boy. He grinned at the thought of the foolish boys who would definitely be debunked by his strong minded daughter. He relished it and snickered at every offer his wife and mother made.

In the end he was still nagged to invite a great many people. He was using the time to seek reason with his wife.

“Dear isn’t it extremely obvious if we invite a great number of boys on our daughters’ party? It’s much better to invite them to a ball or a birthday instead of their first tea party. Clarina would not stand for it, she’d hate it if we did something like this.”

He managed to strike out a good number of the unnecessary people but only because if they came out as hurried or desperate people would think they were trying to get rid of their children which annoyed his wife but it persuaded her.

He could absolutely just take out the names without telling his wife but it never crossed his mind. For Mr Blush would not do many things without asking his wife first. Mrs Blush was often the item of jealousy for other mothers and wives to be coddled at her age and with her attitude.

There was also that ridiculous saying that people with magicks were less reclined to staying monogamous. Mr Blush always made well to scowl when someone mentioned that topic. He was confident that his wife would not stray to the very fact that she simply wasn’t interested in anything out of her home unless said thing left the house.

Recently Mr Blush has busied himself with theories of the other realms and he rather liked his daughter’s idea on the exploration of the other realms but he would not go and create it he wanted his daughter to make it. He was sure Clarina was clever and wise the perfect founder for such a thing.

Carina was more simple but also complicated. She knew what she wanted now but she did not know what she wanted for her future. She would always reply, “We’ll see.” Or “Depends of whatever happens.”

Frustrating and worrying that she had absolutely no plan whatsoever. He had tried to look for some kind of profession his carefree daughter might prefer but she seemed set on being unemployed in the future. Clarina had reassured him that she had a back-up plan concerning her twin. It sickened him to think that he’d have to find a suitable partner for Carina.

He wasn’t sure if he wanted another child and his wife seemed to be hinting around it. Watching his wife give birth to Clarina and Carina was something that was burned into his mind. He was sort of horrified but he did love his daughters deeply it was just that watching them come out was extremely grotesque for him.

He told no one which is probably why his wife was antsy again.

She knew when he wasn’t saying something, a very irritating quirk of her magicks.

Trying to set up a surprise was extremely torturous, if it wasn’t for the help of Miss Garette he would caved in. 

All the while;

Mrs Blush was very satisfied with her handiwork. She had finally finished the dresses for her daughters and she was sure it would look lovely on both of them. Just in time as well.

She was well aware that her husband had crossed out many of the suggestions that she had offered but then again she had given consent. Those coming were those around their age and near the manor. Family friends and so on.

She was very miffed when he had deliberately crossed out the boy Carina had taken fancy to but did not want to argue any further. Mrs Blush was very busy for the day making sure that all the preparations for the party were well set. Then she spent a while talking to Miss Garette who was in a corner hiding from the sun.

She definitely not a vampire but Miss Garette seemed to despise sunlight. Such a small thing as well, she looked young but all knew very well that her age was as unknown as the number of stars but yet she had (through inquiry) never been married, she had never broached the topic because it seemed to make her young friend go sour. They would often simply talk about dresses, skirts, politics, the girls, magicks, and so on. So, Mrs Blush made a dress with long sleeves, rustling skirts and a special hood similar to what she’d seen on Miss Garette on some occasions.

She had given the dress to Miss Garette over an invitation of tea.

“I do hope it suits your tastes, you’ve helped Carina and Clarina so much I couldn’t resist from making something for you. It doesn’t seem right to not give something in return.”

Miss Garette looked up from the bundle in her hands and her large mahogany wood brown eyes trained on her and said, “you are paying me.”

“Oh but you go to such lengths to teach my girls, do try it on!” Mrs Blush ushered Miss Garette to her bedroom linking arms and chatting merrily.

Miss Garette was not a wet blanket though she only did engage in conversations she was interested in. For example if Mrs Blush started to talk about her neighbor she would simply stay quiet and look off in a direction but luckily the two liked similar topics so they were always very chatty.

Even as Mrs Blush was helping Garette fit into her gown they talked about herbs and which one would be a better substitute for which.

Mrs Blush clapped her hands excitedly, “Oh! It’s wonderful! Fits like a glove!”

Miss Garette gave a twirl and patted the soft silks, “you’re extremely talented Carol, it’s beautiful.”

“I want to make more dresses for you, it looks ever so lovely.”

“Well I’d have to pay-”

“None sense! We’re friends no need to pay me.”

“Don’t be stupid, I’ll accept this as a gift for taking the girls on a field trip, the rest I would have to pay rightly. I don’t like you wasting money for things I don’t need and besides better to spend your skills on making dresses for your girls. They’re growing up and they’ll need and want lots and lots of pretty things.”

“Well I’ll always find time for yours as well now go on and change back I’ll have Penny to wrap it up for you for tomorrow and we can go into the parlor and have tea.”

“I’d like a sandwich as well.”

As they swayed to exit the room Clarina bumped into the two as she was searching for Carina.

“Oh mother!” She cried out into the silk and bounced back a little.

“Darling don’t run about,” her mother said pinching her cheek.

“Carina’s declared hide-and go-seek and she won’t have biscuits until I’ve found her.” Clarina huffed in a very dignified way, tilting her chin and puffing her chest. Then she peered at her teacher with her keen storm grey eyes. “Have you seen her?”

Miss Garette smiled and replied with, “no.”

“Do you know where she is?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to tell me?”

“Nah,” Miss Garette flicked her nose and sashayed away with her mother and added, “I wouldn’t cheat in hide-and-go-seek Clarina~”

“Oh! It’s just a game!” She protested and briskly walked away holding her skirts as she peered into rooms and halls.

The thing was that Carina was very good at hide-and-go-seek and Clarina was NOT. It took her three hours to find Carina (who was hiding in an old chute which made Clarina very cross), after washing up she dragged her sister to their rooms to write on their journals and rest their legs.

Carina was very excited for the party tomorrow so she obviously wrote about the party and all her expectations. She had seen her mother buy satins, order flowers, bouquets, and ingredients it made her terribly excited that she seemed to be buzzing with radiance.

Clarina could notice her excitement but the thing was Carina did not know that everyone could see it. Carina’s magicks was very small only enough for sensing and auras. This was why Carina was glowing. Her magicks were very emotional, she would darken and dull when she was sad (that was rare), when she was mad (she’d seem sharper), when she was happy she was radiant (painfully so).

Clarina wasn’t sure if she was like Carina for no one told anyone if they did. Like no one has told Carina that she glowed, literally. But Clarina had never felt like glowing, or buzzing, or squealing. Also it’s not like the things around her were dark or too bright so she must be normal. She had written about writing a novel. Miss Garette had given her a wonderful book and she had only read half way through it. She treasured the book because it came from Miss Garette’s home world. The book was called “Pride and Prejudice” and it was very interesting but simple and emotional.

Miss Garette invited her to talk about the book over tea when she was done with it and then she would lend it to Carina. The problem was that-considering what kind of book it was-she was sure that Carina would never ever stop swooning over it. She was terribly romantic and it took Clarina forever to distract Carina’s mind over that boy she seemed to refuse to forget. Clarina sometimes opted to erase the entry where she wrote on him but she bet that she wrote about him a lot. It was quite daft to moon over someone you’ve never met, know nothing about and will most likely never meet.

By dinner Clarina had asked her father who he invited and he replied, “family, friends and some of the girls and boys nearby, like Lila, Cherry and Harold.”

“No strangers?”

“Hmm… A few of my co-workers’ children are invited as well.”

Clarina nodded satisfied then walked towards the table, He pulled out a chair for her and she sat with a thank you.

“I can’t wait for tomorrow!” Carina squealed waving her arms about.

Clarina gently placed Carina’s hand on her lap and took a napkin while she was setting it on her own lap she said, “Besides father’s friends’ children who else are we to meet tomorrow mother?”

“Well the dears and lads of my friends.”

“I see,” She looked up. “Miss Garette is invited isn’t she?”

“Of course darling, but I’m not sure she would come.”

This caused quite a silence.

Carina snapped out of her happy folding, “what?”

Alarm and awareness oozed out of her, everything seemed more defined from the clench in her hands and the tuft of her hair.

“Well, Miss Garette said that it was a tea party for you girls to mingle more with those of your age. It would dampen it if she hung around.”

Clarina frowned, Carina was stricken.

Drooping shoulders made the table cloth grey, napkin crumpled, eyes tearful the only vibrant picture in Carina’s Radius (what Clarina had named the space where in it gets affected). Clarina was also in that radius she watched her now distasteful looking roast and looked at her father despairingly.

She did not want to help since she was also unhappy about Miss Garette’s declining of the invitation.

Mr Blush looked at his daughters, one was making it look like the table had tilted, he had written a report about it, Carina had a strange affect that seemed to age her environment but at the same time she could liven it and he hadn’t given it a name yet. But it must affect other people since Clarina looked at him with a silent plea as she gestured to her sodden looking roast. He dabbed his mouth and cleared his throat.

“No need to be glum about it Carina Miss Garette will be with us in the house for the day even if she won’t attend the luncheon. She has a gift for both of you after all.”

The dullness lifted a little, “She’ll stay for the day?”

“Of course.”

Clarina watched as her roast became crispier and had a smoky scent to it. Her appetite was successfully returned, the problem was that Carina was glowing-only faintly but still. Her mother relaxed and they continued eating. Carina and Mrs Blush started talking about dresses.

Or at least Carina was trying to get information on the color of the dress. Clarina mentioned to Mr Blush about the new book she was reading and they promised to each exchange books after she and Carina were done with it this also made Mrs Blush ask to borrow as well.

Carina in the midst of dessert declared to recite a poem she made.

Both Clarina and Mr Blush grimaced as they noticed the romantic genre, she spoke with moving emotion while Mrs Blush was very delighted and raptly listening. When Carina was done and dessert was taken away, Clarina asked if anything besides lunch was to happen.

“How does a game of croquet sound darling?”

“Lovely.” Carina said clapping her hands.

“Suitable,” was Clarina’s reply.

Mr Blush took Mrs Blush off to bed and they bid their daughters goodnight.

Clarina had already declared independence from goodnight stories when she was seven so it was more customary for their parents to kiss their foreheads and give hugs after dinner since it was usually the time they went to bed.

So they changed into bed clothes and sat on their beds talking about tomorrow. A girl had important birthdays, their first, their 14th, their 18th and their last.

Tomorrow Carina and Clarina would become 14 years old and they had a little more freedom.

**Author's Note:**

> also my dudes the diary entries of Clarina and Carina I've typed them in different text styles but it's not shown in this because obviously archiveofourown does not have a wide kind of text format so if you want to see how I originally made it out (which has far more finesse than this site allows) pls tell me. Thank you.


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